Modular heavy bag with spindle support requiring no outer shell

ABSTRACT

A heavy bag for boxing, martial arts, or other athletic practice, requiring no outer unitary sheath and having a lower support member, the lower support member having an upwardly extending spindle, there being slidably receivable on the spindle a plurality of independently stuffed modular toroidal drums or cells whose central aperture is complimentary with the diameter of the spindle, each of the stuffed modular toroidal drums or cells having independent support to prevent compression of the stuffed toroidal drums or cells the spaces between adjacent toroidal drums or cells being covered by padded hook and loop fasteners girding the toroidal drums or cells.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No.12/586,328, filed Sep. 21, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to exercise equipment, and moreparticularly, to heavy bags used in boxing, martial arts, athletictraining, and for other athletic purposes, and in particular, to a heavybag which incorporates features which prevents the sagging of the bagstuffing over time and use, and from flexing on its vertical axis fromrepeated blows or strikes to one area of the bag, and eliminates theneed for an outer shell allowing for ease of shipping, assembly, anddisassembly.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Heavy bags are generally vertical, longitudinal cylinders which aresupported from a frame or from a ceiling. The bags are formed of acanvass, leather, or other suitable shell material which will stand upto punches, kicks and other athletic movement, as well as strikes frominanimate objects.

The heavy bags are filled with a stuffing material which can vary.Normally cut up cloth, clothing or leather is used as the stuffingfiller. However, it is not unusual to find heavy bags which are stuffedwith sand filler, bead filler, foam, or other energy absorbent materialwhich provide resistance, yet some flexibility to punches, kicks andother athletic movement. Typically the heavy bag shell is filled fromthe top with the stuffing or filler material and then drawn tight andsecured to a support apparatus such as a chain, rope, ring or the like,which in turn is secured to a bracket eyebolt or frame which supportsthe heavy bag at a desired height above the floor.

The bag is used by boxers, martial arts practitioners, and otherathletes, and as such, the bag is struck with the hands, feet, and otheranatomical parts such as the knees, elbows, and the like, as well asinanimate objects such as weapons or striking instruments. Over time thetypical heavy bag experiences sagging in that under the influence of theathletic forces imposed on the outer shell and gravity, the stuffing orfilling has a tendency to migrate downwardly toward the bottom of thebag. This presents a drawback to the athlete in training in that thedensity of the bag now varies such that punches and kicks delivered toone elevation of the bag may experience unpredictable density levels.This affects the athlete's training and may also contribute to injurysince the athlete through experience expects to encounter a knownresistance at different levels of the bag which the sagging of thestuffing and filler disrupts. It is therefore desirable to create aheavy bag that avoids the sagging or settling affect, and insures thatthe relative density and resistance experienced by the athlete intraining remains the same over time. It is also desirable to provide adegree of rigidity to the bag to minimize side flexing or shapedeformation due to repeated striking in one particular area of the bag.Applicant's spindle support acts as a spine to minimize these undesiredeffects.

Applicant has further developed the heavy bag to eliminate the need forthe outer shell. This allows for a more facile assembly and disassemblyof the heavy bag by the individual and also allows for ease of shippingdue to certain size and weight constraints. This improved and modifiedheavy bag can have particular desirability to an individual who wishesto have a heavy bag in his home for more convenient exercise andworkouts.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel heavy bag forathletic training in which the stuffing is modularized and supported onan internal spindle and requires no outer shell or sheathing, therebyfacilitating assembly and disassembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for a novel heavybag in which the stuffing or filler is modularized and supported on aninternal spindle and which avoids the settling or sagging of thestuffing or filler thereby contributing to a modular heavy bag whichmaintains its relative density and resistance over its operating lengthtime.

Another object of present invention is to provide for a novel heavy bagin which the stuffing or filler is modularized and supported by aninternal spindle, which internal spindle being vertically oriented andstabilized at its upper end functions as a spine and minimizes side flexand shape deformation in the bag, which is caused by repeated strikes orblows to the bag in the same general area.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for anovel modular heavy bag which may be easily assembled and disassembled.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for a novel heavybag which is modularized as to provide specific density customizationfor each individual cell.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A heavy bag for boxing, martial arts, or other athletic practice,requiring no outer unitary sheath and having a lower support member, thelower support member having an upwardly extending spindle, there beingslidably receivable on the spindle a plurality of independently stuffedmodular toroidal drums or cells whose central aperture is complimentarywith the diameter of the spindle, each of the stuffed modular toroidaldrums or cells having independent support to prevent compression of thestuffed toroidal drums or cells the spaces between adjacent toroidaldrums or cells being covered by padded hook and loop fasteners girdingthe toroidal drums or cells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent,particularly when taken in light of the following illustrations wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a typical heavy bag;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a first embodiment of a support member andspindle arrangement;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a second embodiment of a support member andspindle arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a side cutaway view of a heavy bag of the present inventionillustrating two toroidal stuffed drums or cells and one manner ofsecuring the heavy bag to a frame or ceiling;

FIG. 5 is a side cutaway view of a heavy bag of the present inventionillustrating two stuffed toroidal drums or cells, and a second manner inwhich to secure the heavy bag to a frame or ceiling;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the upper support disk member for mountingthe heavy bag of either embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a top view of a stuffed modular toroidal drum or cell of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a side cutaway view of a stuffed modular toroidal drum or cellof the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a side cutaway view of an alternative support embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a side view of a typical heavy bag 10 used for athletictraining. The bag consists of an outer shell 12 which when stuffed withfilling such as cut up cloth, clothing, foam, or similar material,evolves into a cylindrical shape having a cylindrical side wall 14, acircular bottom wall 16, and an open top 18 which is secured afterfilling and stuffing is accomplished. The heavy bag has a series ofcontact points 20 around its upper periphery for the attachment of asupport means 22 which could be ropes, cables, or the like, which arethen secured to a mounting frame 23 or the ceiling. The shell 12 isformed from leather, canvas, or other suitable material.

Ideally, the bag is stuffed with filing such that it presents a uniformdensity and uniform resistance from the top 18 of the bag to the bottom16 of the bag when struck by a user. However, gravity dictates that thestuffing or filling material will settle such that through use, andtime, the lower end 16 of the bag will have a density and resistancegreater than the upper portion 18 of the bag. It should be noted thatthe heavy bags vary in length. Boxing specific bags are shorter sincethey are designated to be struck by the fists, while martial arts bagsare longer to accommodate foot and knee strikes. The longer the bag, themore pronounced the affects of settling as the taller column of fillermaterial creates even more internal pressure.

This settling affect of the heavy bag 10 could be greatly reduced byincorporating modularized segments which are individually stuffed andeach module could be prevented from affecting an adjacent module therebyreducing the peak compression by providing individualized support toeach modular segment. This can be accomplished with a support spindlepost as illustrated in the two embodiments in FIGS. 2 and 3. The supportspindle post 30 is secured to a base support member 32. Extendingupwardly from the base support member 32 would be a support spindle post30, which as illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a single Step A whichdefines a larger diameter lower portion 29 and a smaller diameter upperportion 31. Support spindle post 30 may also have a plurality of steps,or as illustrated in FIG. 3, no steps. The height of the support spindlepost 30 would approximate the height of the heavy bag 10. The supportspindle post 30 is designed to receive a plurality of stuffed modulartoroidal cylindrical shaped drums or cells 40. The upper end 33 ofspindle post 30 is threaded 35 for stabilization and the hanging of themodular toroidal drums or cells as set forth hereafter.

The stuffed modular toroidal drums or cells 40 (FIGS. 7 and 8) comprisea circumferential side wall 52, a top wall 54, a bottom wall 56, and acentrally disposed aperture 58 defined by an inner wall 60 and is formedof suitable, durable liner material. The top or bottom wall 54 or 56 ofthe toroidal-like drum members or cells 40 would have a secured accessmeans 62 to allow the stuffing or filling of the toroidal drum member orcell 40 with appropriate stuffing or filling. Once stuffed or filled,the toroidal drum member or cell 40 would be slidably received onspindle post 30. It will be understood that the centrally disposedaperture 58 in the toroidal drum member or dell 40 will vary dependingupon whether or not that particular toroidal drum member or cell 40 isbeing slidably disposed on support spindle post 30 as the initial orlower toroidal drum member or cell 40 or the upper or highest toroidaldrum member or cell 50 in the case of a stepped spindle post (FIG. 2).The aperture 58 in the respective toroidal drum member or cell 40 isdesigned to be cooperative with the diameter of the spindle post 30 or aparticular step thereof.

The toroidal drum member or cell 40, when being placed on a steppedsupport post (see FIG. 3) are preceded on each successive step with asupport washer/disk 64 having an aperture cooperative with theparticular diameter of the step upon which is placed and having an outercircumference 68 sufficient to provide support for the toroidal drummember or cell 40 which rests upon it. In this configuration a toroidaldrum member or cell 40 oriented above another toroidal drum member orcell 40 cannot have a weight or gravitational affect on the toroidaldrum member or cell 40 immediately below it since it rests upon thestepped support post 30 and cooperating washer 64.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the improved heavy bag of the present inventionmounted on a spindle post 30 as illustrated in FIG. 3, which is notstepped. In FIG. 4 a lower stuffed modular toroidal drum or cell 40A hasbeen slidably received on spindle 30 by means of centrally disposedaperture 58, its bottom wall 56 abutting and supported by base member32. A second stuffed modular toroidal drum or cell 40B is then slidablyreceived on spindle post 30 with its bottom wall 56 abutting the topwall 54 of the lower stuffed modular toroidal drum or cell 40A. Theupper stuffed modular toroidal drum or cell 40B does not causecompression to the lower drum or cell 40A in that it is directlysupported from above by multiple ceiling mounts 20. The multiple ceilingmounts 20 secure to an upper support member 70 having central aperture78 which is secured about spindle post 30, internally of the upperstuffed modular toroidal drum or cell 40B. In this configuration, theupper bag can only settle within the confines of its own toroidal shellwithout affecting the lower cell. The lower cell is supported from belowby the base member 32. In spacial design, the bottom wall 56 of drum orcell 40B abuts the top wall 54 of lower drum or cell 40A. Thiscircumferential delineation 72, is attended to by a coupling belt 74which girds the delineation covering the delineation and providingadditional support to lower drum via the upper drum's outer surface orcell 40B for the prevention of compression or sagging.

The multiple ceiling mounts 20 illustrated in FIG. 4 is a standardizedway of hanging a conventional heavy bag. The mount performs the samefunction in this improved heavy bag with the exception that it iscooperative with an upper support member 70 about spindle 30 internallyof the top wall 54 of drum or cell 40B such that the multiple mount 20is secured directly to the upper support member 70. FIG. 6 is a top planview of upper support member 70 showing central aperture 78 for receiptof spindle 30. A lock nut 80 secures upper support plate 70 to spindle30.

FIG. 5 is a side cutaway view of the spindle post 30 and modular andstuffed modular toroidal drums or cells 40A and 40B similar to that ofFIG. 4. The difference in FIG. 5 is the manner in which the bag is hung.The upper support member 70B is still positioned proximate to the upperwall 54 of upper stuffed modular toroidal drum or cell 40B and withinsame, and is held in place by an adjustable support flanged nut 82threadably secured to the upper threaded end 35 of the spindle post 30.An exterior lock nut 84 is secured threadedly on spindle post 30 on theexterior of drum 40B to maintain position of flanged nut. A threadedcollar 86 is then threadedly secured to the upper end of spindle 30,threaded collar having an aperture 88 for receipt of an attachment meansfor hanging the heavy bag. The circumferential delineation 72 betweenupper drum 40B and lower drum 40A is again attended to by a couplingbelt 74 which girds the delineation covering the delineation andproviding additional support to the lower drum or cell 40B for theprevention of compression or sagging.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment for support of modulartoroidal cells 40. In this embodiment, a first modular toroidal lowerdrum or cell 40A is positioned on spindle 30 with its lower surface 56abutting base support 32. A T-shaped sleeve 90 having a central bore 92is slidably received on spindle 30 with the vertical leg 94 slidablyreceivable through aperture 58 in lower modular toroidal drum 40A, itslower end 96 contacting and resting upon lower support member 32. Asecond upper modular toroidal drum 40B is then slid over spindle 30 withits lower surface 56 resting upon an intermediate support member 98which performs a support surface similar to the disk-like support member64 which would be utilized on a stepped spindle 30 as illustrated inFIG. 2. The hanging of a heavy bag using this alternative embodimentcould be similar to that illustrated in either FIG. 4 or 5 and thedelineation line 72 between the modular toroidal drums or cells 40A and40B would be attended to by a coupling belt 74 similar to thatillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Therefore, while the present invention has been disclosed with respectto the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be recognized by those ofordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications can bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It istherefore manifestly intended that the invention be limited only by theclaims and the equivalence thereof.

1. A modular heavy bag for use in boxing, the martial arts, or otherathletic exercises, the modular heavy bag comprising: spindle having abase member, said spindle extending vertically upwardly there fromterminating in a threaded upper end; a plurality of modular stuffeddrums having a toroidal shape, each drum having a centrally disposedvertical aperture dimension corresponding to a diameter dimension ofsaid spindle, said modular stuffed drums stacked on said spindle, eachof said modular stuffed drums supported independently from said adjacentmodular stuffed drum; means for supporting said modular heavy bag. 2.The modular heavy bag in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of saidmodular stuffed drums are formed of a casing having a cylindrical sidewall, planar upper wall, and planar lower wall, and a cylindrical innerwall thereby defining a toroidal cavity for the receipt of stuffingmaterial.
 3. The modular heavy bag in accordance with claim 2 whereineach of said modular stuffed drums has a securable opening to allow forthe positioning of stuffing materials therein.
 4. The modular heavy bagin accordance with claim 3 wherein said modular stuffed drums are filledwith a stuffing material, said stuffing material selected from a groupconsisting of sand, pieces of cut cloth, clothing, gel, liquid, foam,rubber, particles or pellets of rubber and egg foam.
 5. The modularheavy bag in accordance with claim 4 wherein said stuffing materials canbe positioned within said drums to vary the density and hardness of therespective drums.
 6. The modular heavy bag in accordance with claim 1wherein a support means secured to said upper end of said spindle issecured to an overhead bracket, said support means providing verticalsupport to said spindle and to said modular stuffed drums minimizing sagof said drums and maintaining desired vertical densities within saidheavy bag.
 7. The modular heavy bag in accordance with claim 2 wherein alower modular stuffed drum positioned on said spindle is supported bysaid base member and an upper modular stuffed drum positioned on saidspindle is supported by an upper support member positioned within saidupper modular stuffed drum adjacent said planar upper wall andcooperable with said means for supporting said modular heavy bag.
 8. Themodular heavy bag in accordance with claim 7 wherein said means forsupporting said modular heavy bag comprises a plurality of flexiblesupport members, one end of each being secured to said upper supportmember in said upper modular stuffed drum, and opposing ends beingsecured to a support bracket.
 9. The modular heavy bag in accordancewith claim 7 wherein said means for supporting said modular heavy bagcomprises a threaded collar threadedly secured to said upper end of saidspindle, said threaded collar having an aperture there through forreceipt of an attachment means for hanging said heavy bag, said uppersupport member secured to said spindle by a flange nut and lock nutbelow said threaded collar.
 10. The modular heavy bag in accordance withclaim 2 wherein a lower modular stuffed drum is supported by said basemember, said lower modular stuffed drum having positioned in itscentrally disposed vertical aperture a T-shaped intermediate supportmember comprising an intermediate planar support positioned adjacentsaid outer upper planar wall of said lower modular stuffed drum, adepending support arm having a central bore slidably receivable on saidspindle, said depending support arm resting on said base member, saidintermediate support member supporting said upper modular stuffed drum.11. The modular heavy bag in accordance with claim 2 wherein adelineation defined by said planar lower wall of said upper modularstuffed drum and said planar upper wall of said lower modular stuffeddrum is girded by a coupling belt.
 12. The modular heavy bag inaccordance with claim 11 wherein said coupling belt is padded andsecured about said delineation by hook and loop fasteners.
 13. Themodular heavy bag in accordance with claim 2 wherein a lower modularstuffed drum is supported by said base member, and wherein said spindleis stepped, having a greater lower diameter accommodating said lowermodular stuffed drum and a smaller upper diameter accommodating an uppermodular stuffed drum, said upper modular stuffed drum supported by anintermediate support slidably receivable on said upper portion of saidspindle and supported by said lower portion of said stepped spindle.